Kerala: Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences refutes CAG non-compliance on salary structure

Thiruvananthapuram: The Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and technology (SCTIMST), has refuted to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on administrative functioning of autonomous bodies under department of science and technology of 2016, under which CAG had criticized the approval of the governing body of the institute fixing salaries of the employees working in its various departments not as par with the UGC norms.

The institute has maintained that the report of the said Comptroller and Auditor General of India on its fiscal functioning and salary distribution is a wrong interpretation by the authority as the institute is an autonomous body and has been given the certification as a University under the Act of parliament. Hence, UGC norms are not applicable on the institute.

Therefore, the institute reiterated that it has the right to fix its salary structure for the employed staff accordingly, not enduring the UGC norms. The act has empowered the institute to adopt grades, scales, qualifications and apply it, said Dr Asha Kishore, the director of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology.

Dr Asha Kishore, told TOI that "We are not governed by UGC. We are an autonomous body and covered by an Act as university. Our governing body can decide grade pay scale of the employees and may use any government institution as index- most of the time they use AIIMS Delhi. It is up to the Department of Science and Technology to correct them by informing them the provisions of parliamentary act."

She added "We have a unique nature of our institute with technology wing with scientists, engineering and public health wing etc unlike AIIMS. We had given the clarification on this to department of science and technology before the CAG finalised the report. The CAG had asked us certain queries and we had send the details to the department, which we feel was not considered.Now we have decided to send all the details about the institute and the Act under which it was formed before the next audit even though we have already communicated our rebuttal over the findings."

The CAG report also pointed that "22 medical staff or scientists were appointed on direct recruitment in the institute, during the period between 2009 and 2014 as assistant professors, additional/associate professors/professors/scientists D, whose initial pay was fixed at enhanced pay resulting in excess expenditure."